How are we going to clean up the Gulf oil mess? Easy. With waste material from power plants, of course. Oh, and it's a certifiably eco-friendly method. That's right: we're finally getting a real-life toxic avenger.

The material, called flyash, will absorb the oil that's coating the waters of the Gulf, which can then be transported to a coal-burning facility for re-use. That means that not only will the oil be cleaned up, but it also won't go entirely to waste. The same applies to any oil that's already been washed up on the shore.

The $67,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will allow Dr. Sudipta Seal to turn flyash into a cleaning agent. The bad news: that might take some time. But the least of our worries is that there someday won't be enough oil left for power plant waste to absorb. [PhysOrg]